History is happening. It will be called Grangemouth moment

A letter to Scottish First minister:

Dear Alex Salmond,

Let me first introduce myself. My name is Arul Krishna moorthy. I migrated to Scotland from India about 5 years ago. I work for an investment management company &  live in Edinburgh with my family. I am one of your well-wishers and supporter of an Independent Scotland.

 Like many of us, I am also sad due to the decision of Ineos’s decision to shut down the Grangemouth petrochemical plant. I understand that the future of Grangemouth refinery is also uncertain.

Grangemouth is Scotland’s most important Industrial complex; I have head estimates that more than 10 thousand indirect jobs depend on it. It’s very important to Scotland especially the central Scotland. We don’t want that place to be turning into another deprived area like some ‘former’ mining community.

The situation does appears to very grave, I also see this as an historic opportunity to the ‘Yes’ Campaign especially the SNP.  Yes. An opportunity that can shape the history, the history of Independent Scotland.

If SNP gets this issue right under your leadership, and brings about to an amicable solution to the crisis, it has potential to lead the ‘Yes’ campaign to victory.

I would recommend the following strategy. Nationalization should not be the first choice. If we do that we will be creating a liability rather than an asset for the future generation.

Start looking out for potential bidders. You may have even have to look beyond Europe for potential bidders.  May be you should take on the Chinese supported Ineos with some Indian or Russian oil oligarch.  There are people who can turn around failing businesses in a successful and efficient one.

Take the example of Jaguar Land Rover, it was acquired by the Indian company Tata motors at the depth of recession.  The automakers were cutting down production and shutting down plants.  The company came with the promise of not closing any plants.  The company is a great turnaround story.   They are one of the largest and a consistent employer in the last 5 years.  The employees of Jaguar Land rover are happier and more secure than ever.

The Tatas does not have experience with petroleum; Reliance is a better fit because of the background in petro-chemical industry. Reliance Industries runs the world’s largest refinery at Jam Nagar in India.

 We need to understand that 'Its not that case Ineos is not interested in the plan when it is ready to commit £ 250 Million' additional capital.  Its just playing hardball in return expecting more concessions. Bringing in potential bidders will strengthen the Government stand at negotiation table with Ineos.

If these potential bidders become owners then they can be promised small short-term governmental help but larger longer term incentives to get their long term commitment in the area.

Additionally, I would recommend that you send your best team in the cabinet (& party) to be there in the impacted community at this hour. The people there should know that your team is  there for them, when they need them. 

Neither nationalization nor bailout (similar to the one for banks) is needed now. A good potential investor, who can turn around the company, is what we need.  

For Robert Bruce ‘battle of Bannockburn’ was major turning point, it was also turning point in the History of Scotland.  It made the Scotland independent from England.  It’s not mere co-incidence that Bannockburn is located near Grangemouth.

I think the current moment is like ‘Battle of Bannockburn’, it can change the course of the campaign and the future of Scotland.  As many would agree, the Grangemouth victory is needed before the ‘Yes’ vote victory in the referendum.

The murder on the street that shocked the nation

Last week, Briton witnessed a murder in the streets of London that shocked the entire nation.
As someone from India that was devastated by Islamic terror for centuries, I was not particularly surprised by the act that came out of the troubled side of Islam.  In this negative incident, what stood out positively to me, was the social consciousness of the Brits.

When the barbarians were on the butchering spree, there was a woman (a mother of two) who stood up to them and asked them questions. I salute her courage and social consciousness.

The British government did not hesitate to label the act as terror (it was nothing less than terror). As someone from India, I have seen the 'secular' Indian government struggling to make such bold and correct statements when faced with heinous terror strikes. 

The two barbarians responsible for the murder made 'clear statements that their Islamic faith' was behind  their motives.

The 'Muslim council of Briton' urgently made the following statement 
-   No cause justifies this murder
 -  A barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly
 - Vast majority of British Muslims acknowledge armed forces for the work they do
  - Calls for calm and unity in all communities.

The above statement was a positive gesture from the Muslim community.

I have seen never seen a Muslim organization disowning and condemning a Islamic terror act in India. For your information, India is the the second largest Muslim populated country in the world (after Indonesia).

The way in which the news in the west was covered was also very different from the way it would be covered in India. The news reporters were not hesitant to call 'a spade a spade'.

Anyway,  it is very unfortunate that someone walking on the street is being murdered by 2 barbarians because they had a different belief system.

Reponse to the FT Article 'India Faces a choice between tolerance and governance'

India Faces a choice between tolerance and governance - by Gurcharan Das on Financial Times Monday 27/May/2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following is the letter to the Editor of Financial Times.

The author seems to the have a strong leftist (can also be read communist) background carrying a huge 'secular' luggage (an aversion for the word Hindu).  The author also tries to generalise his personal preference over an inexperienced and incompetent Rahul Gandhi, as if its a public opinion.

I come from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. BJP hardly wins any parliamentary seats in that state. Even for someone like me Modi is an obvious choice. What India needs today is an able administrator like Modi and not a inexperienced joker like Rahul.

I am even surpised how even people are even able to compare Modi with Rahul as if there is a comparison. Its like comparing the light from bright afternoon Sun with a light from hand held Torch .

The author seems to completely disconnected from the public opinion (or) desperately trying to falsify it.  The author seems to be having a obsession with the secularism. Congress has consistently damaged India by appeasing minorities in the name of Secularism.  'India is secular only because its a Hindu Nation'. Not because congress is ruling it.  If the author 'properly' reads the history of India, he will realize that the parts of India where Hindus become minority, have got separatist tendencies or even got separated from the nation.

People like us (a large number of them-sufficient enough to elect Modi as prime misiter) do not carry the same 'secular' luggage like the author and are very comfortable and even looking forward to a effective leader like Modi governing India.

Briton becoming more and more isolated in Europe

Yesterday (March 5th, 2013),

Briton got isolated again within the EU, on bank bonus cap issue.  Chancellor George Osborne's proposals were rejected with vote count of  26 to 1 .

Even during the last  year's EU budget cap issue, Briton had a tough time finding partners to support its case of limiting the EU budget.

At the End of December 2011, the EU visit David Cameroon ended in a similar way, when Briton was isolated in opposing the changes to EU Treaty.

It is very clear that Briton is becoming more and more isolated in Europe.